20 Bestselling Children’s Books for January/February - 2022

AALBC’s Bestselling Book SealOur bestsellers list has been published continuously since 1998. Learn More ▶

Fiction: The bestselling fiction book this period is a literary Magazine, the Killens Review of Arts & Letters (Fall / Winter 2021). Published by the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Ever College and Edited by Clarence V. Reynolds, the Killens Review provides a wonderful collection of essays, poetry, and nonfiction.

Nonfiction: Nonfiction books were by far the bestselling genre this period. During Black History Month we often see a surge in nonfiction book sales. The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story created by Nikole Hannah-Jones is the bestselling book, of all, this period.

Children’s Books: Children’s Books sales were led by Born on the Water written by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renée Watson, and illustrated by Nikkolas Smith. This book is also part of the 1619 Project and was the #1 bestselling book for all of 2021.

Poetry: Poetry sales were led by the 4-time AALBC Bestseller, Call Us What We Carry: Poems by Amanda Gorman. We are especially happy to see Cosmic Deputy: Poetry & Context by Kalamu ya Salaam make our list. Kalamu was the coeditor, with Kwame Alexander, of our first bestselling book of poetry, 360° A Revolution of Black Poets, which made the list in 1998.

View a printer-friendly version and a collage of the book covers. Also, check out links to more great books. Enjoy

#1

Book cover of Born on the Water: The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renée Watson

Born on the Water

by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renée Watson

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#3

Book cover of Mermaid Kenzie: Protector of the Deeps by Charlotte Watson Sherman

Mermaid Kenzie

by Charlotte Watson Sherman

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#4

Book cover of Stacey’s Extraordinary Words by Stacey Abrams aka Selena Montgomery

Stacey’s Extraordinary Words

by Stacey Abrams aka Selena Montgomery

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#9

Book cover of Different and the Same by Adijah & Atiya Brabham

Different and the Same

by Adijah & Atiya Brabham

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#11

Book cover of I Am Loved by Nikki Giovanni

I Am Loved

by Nikki Giovanni

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#12

Book cover of The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson

The Day You Begin

by Jacqueline Woodson

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#14

Book cover of Your Name Is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow

Your Name Is a Song

by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow

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#20

Book cover of Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks by Suzanne Slade

Exquisite

by Suzanne Slade

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More About our Bestsellers List


You will learn about books selling well, in the Black community, that may never show up on lists published by corporate entities. Spread the word about our list; don’t let one or two lists, which we don’t control, determine which books are important.

We collect our bestselling titles from all our sales channels. The majority of our sales come from this website and our in-person events. We also include sales generated through our affiliate relationships, including Bookshop.org, Libro.fm (audiobooks), Black History 365 Education, and Amazon.com*.

We aggregate all formats of a book sold (print, ebook, and audio) into one format, usually the most popular print format

*For a few years, we actively boycotted Amazon but have discontinued this practice, as many of our authors have made their books exclusively available from Amazon. While we discourage giving Amazon the exclusive right to sell a book, we do not want this to be a reason to exclude an author from our site. Amazon also has an effective monopoly on eBooks and out-of-print books, which we highlight on this site.


The Most Critically Acclaimed Books

Bestselling Books By Year May be Found Here

Our All-Time Bestselling Books May be Found Here